Use it up, make it do – as art

Sometimes a local business takes a chance and does something really different. They step out of the box and do a little dance. Or hang a little art show even though they are a business that sells building supplies and not art or art supplies.

WOOD AND WIRE – Kevin King used his materials to set this bird free to fly.

“Green” business hosts show of works from recyclables

Sometimes a local business takes a chance and does something really different. They step out of the box and do a little dance. Or hang a little art show even though they are a business that sells building supplies and not art or art supplies. That’s what Nicole Goldman of The “g” Green Business Center in Mashpee Commons chose to do to celebrate her first year in business. “We wanted to do something different to celebrate our anniversary,” she said, “and we’ve been doing it every year since. This year is our third year and we invited six local artists that use found and recycled materials in their work. By only inviting six artists this allowed us to have a collection of each artist’s work instead of just one piece.” The words “art gallery” probably evoke similar mental pictures for many people such as white walls, quiet spaces and framed pieces that no one is allowed to get to close to or touch. Classical music or jazz may be involved as well as people dressed in black with faraway looks in their eyes. There’s often a certain assumed sacredness, formality and stand offish-ness about galleries that make many people nervous. Imagine, instead, an art show where you, your kids, your cousins, your kid’s teacher, your crabby Uncle Joe, the dog trainer and yes, even an art collector, could all feel equally comfortable and happy. If you pictured fun art with a serious intent displayed alongside ordinary items for sale in a shop selling “green” materials for your home then you may already be imagining sculptures and other pieces made of old wood, wires and other such things. What you may not be imagining is the superb craftsmanship, the droll sense of humor or the visual commentary of artists concerned with the environment as well as aesthetics that is reflected throughout. In a word, or maybe two, the show is delightful as well as thoughtful. Tiffany Van Mooy has re-imagined and remade the tree ring. We all know about tree rings, how one can count the years and age the tree by the number of rings. We can even guess at whether there was drought or a rainy season by the width of the rings. Van Mooy builds her tree rings out of old papers such as recycled phone books, used tickets and such. Her piece, “Ring Ring Ring,” is made up of old phone book pages cut and torn and rolled into concentric circles of various sizes that are then covered with the labels from random yellow pages. Words and phrases such as “yogurt,” “convents and monasteries,” “boots,” and “toupees” are all placed strategically around the rings, giving one pause as well as a smile or two. Skip Treglia’s “Bird Man” and “Heron” are just two of his pieces built of driftwood, scrap metal and various pieces of bone, shell and even an old fishing net or two. They are both whimsical and thought provoking, evoking as they do the totems and symbolic sculptures from other times and cultures even as they display the leavings of a throwaway modern society. Maureen O’Sullivan collects old wooden planks and boards, which she uses in geometric patterns that are both rustic and sleek. Kevin King employs metal, wood, wire and other found objects to craft exquisite, almost formal pieces and James Musto creates elegant and moody painterly works using all sorts of recycled papers, old wrappings and wires, torn fibers from building materials and even termite-eaten wood. Linda Marie Steele uses pressed leaves, old cans and paint to create playful, collage-like pieces. The shop itself is full of natural materials and the work of all six artists is displayed in such a way that sometimes you’re not sure if you’re looking at building materials or art. It is simply a fun show to go see whether you’re just shopping in the Commons or are looking to see what artists in the area are doing. Either way, you will most likely leave with a smile on your face. This is the sort of art gallery that even the kids will enjoy and it will also give you all plenty to talk about on the way home.

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